This photograph appears to be a fragment of the cover of an advertising booklet that includes the fiction "A Love Story of Mineral Wells", by Mamie Wynn Cox. Her fiction was first published in 1911. Four libraries worldwide claim possession of a copy of it. The complete booklet is available by flipping through the page by selecting "next" above the photographs. The cover shows a lady holding a handful of dominoes, which was probably meant to establish a connection to Mineral Wells, Dominoes once being a popular pastime in the city. The game of 42 (named after the number of points that could be scored in a game) was invented in Garner, seven miles east of Mineral Wells. For readers interested in obtaining a copy of the fiction, the Dewey Number of it is 833; the Library of Congress Call Number is PS 3505.O97

Dated "Jan 10, 1919", this picture was contained in an envelope postmarked "Aug. 4 '75", and addressed to A. F. Weaver Photography from Charles W. [Windell] Simonds. Handwriting on the envelope indicates it was from a short-wave "Ham' radio operator correspondent and friend of Mr. Weaver. Notes on the envelope indicate the picture was probably taken by the correspondent's father, Clarence Winfield Simonds. The sign on the tree at the left edge of the picture indicates this was the Vance Villa (Rooming House) in a residential part of town. (Vance Villa is listed in the 1914 City Director of Mineral Wells at 811 N. College, which is now NW 5th Avenue.) Note the hoop held by the child on the left, while the boy on the right appears to be holding a unicycle--or, perhaps, an early bicycle whose rear wheel is not visible..

A Trolley went by Standard Park and Standard Pavilion before 1913. A popular place,the Standard had a swimming pool, amphitheater, dancing and playgrounds. The North Oak Community is now at this location. Information was taken from A.F Weaver's "Time Was" second edition.

On these pages are seen advertisements for The Fairfield Inn, owner Mrs. Walter H. Boykin; The Oxford Hotel (C. H. Browning is listed as the proprietor) with European and American plans available; and The Davis Well Water and By-Products (Dr. E. A. Davis, is listed as president). The quarterly reports that the Odd Fellow Convention will be held in Mineral Wells in 1916.

Listed on this page are articles extolling the qualities of local mineral water, the mineral water baths, and the year-round climate of the city. Advertisements defining the grades of water offered by The Carlsbad Water Company and the amenities offered by The Damron Hotel are also to be found on these pages.

The Health Resort Quarterly was published by the Commercial Club, located at 106 East Wall Street (now NE 4th Street). This volume was published October, 1915. Officers were: J.C Pangle, President; Dr. J.H McCracken, Vice President; W.I. Smith, Treasurer and Fred Burman, Secretary. The publication contained words of wisdom, advertisements extolling Mineral Wells, and items of local news.

Typed under this picture is the legend: "FIFTY YEARS AGO -- Co. 1, 4th Texas Infantry, was patrolling the Mexican Border. The company's home base was in Mineral Wells. Later it was called into federal service and designated as Co. 144th Infantry, 36th Division, with combat duty in France on the Meuse-Argonne Campaign and the Argonne Forest. In the picture is the company pet donkey, about to consume a copy of the Daily Index, on the left is Bill Cameron and right is Spencer Heath. The picture was made in Marathon, Texas in 1916." Bill Cameron was employed in various capacities by the "Mineral Wells Index" newspaper for many years. At the time of his death, 1976, he was its business manager. The image of the donkey chewing on the copy of the "Index" is a favorite picture shown in the "Index" to this day [2013]. It remains the subject of raucous humor in Mineral Wells.

This picture shows the front of the first Crazy Hotel, which was destroyed by fire March 15, 1925. Built in two stages and joined together, the first (back) section was built in 1912, and the second (front) section was completed in 1914. A handwritten note on back of photograph states, "Crazy Hotel 1913. Front of Hotel Facing South Mineral Wells, Tx." This picture is included on page 15 of A.F. Weaver's book "TIME WAS...", and was probably taken before the second section of the hotel opened for business. The back of Crazy Flats (the second Crazy Water Drinking Pavilion) can be seen to the right, north of and behind the hotel in this picture.

The Standard Park not only boasted a swimming pool, but a movie theater and dancing pavilion, as well, for the entertainment of health-seekers. A trolley to it operated at 600 North Oak Street from 1907 to 1913. (Note the Kingsley Hotel above and left of the Standard, built into the side of East Mountain--later destroyed by fire.) First known as the Vichy Well and Natatorium, then later as the Beach, the Standard was torn down in World War II; and a USO Club was built here for soldiers at Camp Wolters. The USO building was given to the city after the war, and renamed the North Oak Community Center. The Crazy Water Festival Committee is currently [2003] attempting to restore the Community Center.

We have here a view from the south of Mineral Wells' High School, built in 1915 at 101 NW 5th Avenue. This side of the building faces W. Hubbard Street. The tower atop the West Ward School can be seen below the skyline, and to the left, above the high school. (The West Ward school was torn down in 1930.)

The Texas Carlsbad Well, located at 415 NW 1st Avenue (west of the Crazy Water Well and Drinking Pavilion), is shown here. A more modern brick building was added to this wooden pavilion in 1909; both structures are visible in pictures taken during a Woodmen of the World convention in 1911. (Note: The newer Carlsbad building was taken over by the Crazy Hotel for its Laundry and Dry Cleaning when the second Carlsbad Pavilion shut down operations during World War II.)

The cover of The (October 1915) Health Resort Quarterly, published by the Commercial Club of Mineral Wells, Texas is illustrated here. The wreath on the cover frames a lady's arm and hand holding a glass of (mineral) water with captions "ANALYSIS HAS PROVED IT TO HAVE NO EQUAL" above and "FAMED THE WORLD OVER" below, referring to the mineral water from the local wells. A colophon at bottom reads: "Index Print [symbol] Mineral Wells."

Spectators are shown here, at a spring play-day frolic at Elmhurst Park around 1910. The popular park once boasted a Casino, a Dancing Pavilion, Exhibit Halls, and Outdoor Sports Fields. It hosted the County Fair and sports events until 1913. On the closure of Elmhurst Park, the City of Mineral Wells became the owner of the property. It was used for a housing development during World War II to accommodate families of soldiers and civilian workers at Camp Wolters. The City of Mineral Wells built city's water treatment facilities on the site of the former park after World War II.

This picture shows the 100 block of what is now N. Oak Avenue, looking south. The "Palace Saloon" sign is still visible in 2008. The Palo Pinto County Courthouse Annex currently [2010] occupies the building that once housed Poston's Dry Goods (just down the street from the Palace Saloon). Please note the absence of trolley tracks--or the festoon of wires required to keep its power-line in place. The unpaved street dates the photograph prior to 1914, and probably prior to the previous picture.

An inscription at the bottom of the photograph reads "Pat--Ike." The "Ike" presumably refers to Ike Zablosky, who came from Russia to Philadelphia in 1890. He and his wife, Fanny Jaffee, later moved to Mineral Wells for health reasons where he became involved in the fur-and-hide business. Zablosky once described the northwest part of Palo Pinto County as a "'Possum kingdom"; hence the first flood-control lake on the Brazos River was named Possum Kingdom Lake. (The story is that it was named that by president Franklin Roosevelt himself.) Zabloski sponsored a local baseball team. He bought a Texas League franchise when it became available after he moved to Dallas. It was to become Dallas' first professional baseball team. He pioneered the founding of city farm teams and acted as umpire and coach. The man on the left side is Pat Moran, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Moran managed the Reds from 1919-1923.

We have here a picture of Oak Street, looking South. The Poston Company and the Palace Saloon are easily visible in photograph. The wording "Fishburn Dallas" appears on the photograph. The unpaved street, several horses and wagons in picture date the picture to an era before 1914, when the street was paved.

Shown here is a view of Mesquite Street (Now [2008] NE First Avenue) from its upper end at Coke Street (now NE 2nd Street). Horse-drawn vehicles are present. The building at the left middle of the picture with the "DRUGS" sign and the stone lion statue on its roof is the Yeager Building, home of what was popularly called "The Lion Drug Store." The first building on right, 205 NE First Street (with arched windows) was H. M. Coleman's clothing store for men, which even at this early date, appears to be undergoing renovation.

An early view of Oak Street (now Oak Avenue), looking North is shown here. The first intersecting road is Hubbard Street. Part of the Oxford Hotel is visible on the southeast corner of Hubbard and Oak. Please note the utter lack of street lights. Street car tracks and an overhead cable run on Oak. Mineral Wells Electric System (Street Car) ceased operation in 1913. The downtown streets were paved in 1914. A hardware store, possibly Davidson's, is on the southwest corner of Hubbard and Oak.

The Carlisle House was owned and managed by Mrs. A[lexander] E[mmett] Carlisle, after the death of her husband in 1911. It was one of the largest hotels of its day, boasting sixty rooms. It was destroyed in a fire on July 4, 1914. The Abilene "Reporter" of July 5, 1914 reports that fire began its course at the Tourist Hotel (located, at the time, at 315 NW 4th street). It spread to the New Hazel Hotel (at 305 NW 4th Street), took in the Harrel House, (at 301 NW 4th street), the Lake Charles, Louisiana (511 NW 2nd Street), and the Burk House, 601 NW 3rd Avenue, as well as seven houses that were not hotels. The fire was so thorough that in 1921, the area was still devoid of buildings. It was on this site that Mordecai Ham (he who converted Billy Graham) put up a tent for a revival on March 23, 1927. He accepted the position of pastor at the First Baptist Church in Oklahoma City on June 19, 1927. He remained in that position until June 16, 1929, when he returned to the revival circuit. The Carlisle House was located in the same block as the …

A photograph, taken from Welcome Mountain looking West down NW 4th Street, of unknown date is illustrated here. The small brick building in 4th Street is the Crazy Well. The first Crazy Water Hotel (left middle of picture) was built on same location as present Crazy Water hotel. The present hotel is much larger and extends to the Crazy Well. Note the Crazy Flats (drinking pavilion with apartments) in foreground. Note the first Catholic Church, on West Mountain. The West Ward School and the High School are in upper left quadrant of picture.

This picture shows a post-card view of the Damron Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. It was built in 1906 as The Colonial Hotel by rancher J.T. Holt, a rancher whose ranch of five thousand acres was near Mineral Wells. Nonetheless, she would not live in the country. The hotel was traded around 1917 to Agnew and Bessie Damron. The hotel burned completely in 1978.

This picture appears to be a souvenir photograph of the Gibson Well drinking pavilion and park, one of the earliest mineral water supply spots in Mineral Wells. It grew into one of the larger parks and pavilions in town. The gasoline-powered "Dinky Cars" of the Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway passed here every quarter-hour (from 1905 to 1909) on their journey to and from Lake Pinto. The Crazy Industries had acquired the property by 1938, and it became known as Crazy Park, a beautiful botanical park. The mineral water industry became a victim of the FDA and the wartime activities during World War II. As a result, the mineral water pavilions, along with other parts of the local health industry, died a slow death. The First Christian Church now occupies the site of the Gibson pavilion.

The discovery of mineral water, and its reported healing powers, sparked an influx of health-seeking visitors in 1881-82. A flurry of drilling activity resulted in incorporation of the city of Mineral Wells in 1882, as water was sought to satisfy the booming market; so much so that no one remembers the order in which the wells were drilled. The Gibson well, however, was one of the early ones. Located at 705 NW 2nd Avenue, it grew into one of the largest parks and drinking pavilions in town. The gasoline-powered "Dinky cars" of the Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway passed by it every quarter-hour, from 1905 to 1909, on their journeys to and from Lake Pinto. The Gibson property was acquired by the Crazy. It was known as the Crazy Park in 1938, and it was made into a beautiful botanical garden. It is currently the site of the First Christian Church.

A picture of the slogan posted in the Texas Carlsbad Well pavilion with "proof" that a Cadillac, with its radiator filled with mineral water, was rejuvenated with enough "pep" to pass a Chevrolet. Please note: The first Cadillac V-8 engine was introduced in 1914 as the 'Type 51' engine, so this photograph may be dated to 1914 or thereafter. The "Over" section is not illustrated. It probably contained more braggadocio---or, perhaps, what happened next to the two cars.